Many a Vash
by whoa nellie
Summary: Vash solves an ancient riddle and the answer leads to more than anyone expected.


Title: Many a Vash

Author: Whoa Nellie

Series: TNG

Rating: PG-13

Codes: P/V

Summary: Vash solves an ancient riddle and the answer leads to more than anyone expected.

As always: Paramount owns all the marbles. We just have a lot more fun playing with them. This story has been edited down. If you are over 18 and prefer to read the original version, it and our other Picard/Vash stories can be found at our Whoa Nellie's Picard/Vash Romance Fan Fiction Website listed on our author page.

Feedback is always appreciated, posted or e-mail.

MANY A VASH

"That's it! I can't believe I did it; but that's got to be it," Vash muttered to herself gazing down at the PADD. She quickly sent a message to the anthropology lab and then pushed her chair back from her desk. With PADD in hand, she headed out of her office. On her way through the archaeology lab, she crowed to her assistant Karita Leigh. "I found it!"

Karita watched her boss head out of the door and into the corridor wearing a triumphant smile. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the analysis she was working on.

"Mrs. Picard," Lieutenant Sean Kennely greeted the captain's wife in the corridor near her lab.

"The riddle isn't gibberish at all. It makes perfect sense," she prattled while passing her security guard in the corridor. "Oh, and if you're looking for Karita, she's in the lab."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am," he called after her, sounding a little confused.

Vash saw the turbolift doors opening at the end of the corridor. "Hold that lift," she shouted at the officer getting on.

"Vash." Geordi La Forge turned at the request and held the lift until she had boarded.

"It just stuck me while I was studying the report from stellar cartography. Everybody's wrong, they've been using the wrong solution for centuries, which is why the solution never led anywhere because obviously you can't get where you want to go if you're starting from the wrong place," Vash babbled excitedly to the chief engineer. Taking a breath, she noticed his expectant expression. "Bridge; and you might as well come with me. It'll save you a trip when he calls a senior staff meeting."

"The captain is going to call a senior staff meeting?" La Forge asked.

"He will once I've told him what I've done," she gestured with the PADD she was holding.

"Of course," he chuckled, deciding he didn't want to miss the show and he actually did have some work he could do at his bridge station.

Picard turned in his command chair at the sound of the turbolift doors. Commander La Forge exited and headed toward his station wearing a badly hidden smirk. The source of the engineer's mirth became apparent when Vash strolled out of the turbolift looking insufferably pleased with herself. Making her way down to him, she announced, "Jean-Luc, I did it!"

"Good morning, Professor," he replied dryly. "What did you do and how many Starfleet regulations did you break doing it?"

"I found the crystal caves of Poudrina," she explained, finishing with a jauntily chirped, "Captain."

"The lost crystal caves that are considered to be a myth," Picard remarked.

"Every myth has a basis in truth, obscured by time and poor record-keeping. They only remain a myth until someone finds them, which I have just done," she quipped.

Before the captain could form a reply, the turbolift doors opened again. Commander Chakotay and Doctor Crusher walked out onto the bridge and he greeted them, "Commander, Doctor, what brings the two of you to the bridge?"

"Staff meeting to discuss the archaeology lab's report," Chakotay answered.

The captain turned to his first officer. "I called a staff meeting?"

"Everyone is here aren't they?" Vash gave her husband her most charming smile.

"It's that significant?" Picard asked his wife. Seeing her excited nod, he stood up and gestured around, "All right, senior staff report to the observation lounge. Let's go discuss your finding, Professor."

As soon as everyone had taken their seats around the conference table, Vash stood behind Jean-Luc and began her report. "As some of you may know, the crystal caves of Poudrina are considered one of the ancient wonders of this sector. Think of it as being a galactic version of the Seven Wonders of Ancient Earth of which only the Great Pyramid of Giza exists today. The Captain was quite correct in pointing out that the caves are considered to be a myth. The difficulty has been in trying to interpret clues left by what we consider an ancient and extinct civilization about a place that they considered ancient. Looking again at our own Terran history, it's a lot like trying to find the lost city of Atlantis using clues from works of Plato who claimed to be writing some nine thousand years after the fall of Atlantis. In this instance, the clue is a riddle from Poudrina's third age around two million years ago that uses constellations and their positions to lead to the cave." She reached past her husband's shoulder to activate a console that created three-dimensional display in the center of the conference table. "This is a representation of Poudrina and her night sky during the third age, courtesy of stellar cartography."

Picard pointed to a constellation, "The general consensus has always been that this constellation was the first answer in the riddle."

"Through the ages, general consensus about scientific theories has quite often been wrong. That starting point and the sequence of answers that follow from it lead nowhere, which led to the conclusion that the riddle was nothing more than an elaborately constructed allegory. However, if you use this constellation," she pointed to another group of stars before reaching over to tap a few controls, "the rest of the riddle follows a different path along the constellations resulting in these coordinates. That is where you'll find the caves."

Chakotay watched with interest while the computer displayed the entire process of ciphering the riddle to finish with the final coordinates. Comparing the coordinates with a topographical image of the planet's surface, he met his captain's eye and smiled. "Spirits, she did do it. I need to see this."

Picard regarded his ship's anthropologist with a wry expression, "Et tu, Chakotay."

Vash jumped in, "The Enterprise's current course will take her within a dozen or so light years of the planet, which is just around the block--cosmically speaking. Of course, if you really don't want to alter course, Chakotay and I could just take a team and fly over on the Kirk."

"No," Picard and Crusher stated simultaneously. He shot a curious glance over at Beverly.

"Sorry, Captain, but after the incident with the Kirk it took two weeks for Chakotay's injuries to heal." Crusher looked over at Vash, "And you Professor, came uncomfortably close to dying on my operating table. I get a little touchy about things like that. I don't think the two of you should be allowed to play together anymore."

"Sorry," Vash shrugged her shoulders.

"Captain, given the flexibility in our current itinerary, we have the time," Riker commented. "I see no harm in the brief course adjustment, especially when weighed against what could be a major archaeological find."

"Agreed, Number One, we'll set course for Poudrina." Picard gestured to Chakotay and Vash. "All right, Commander, Professor, you get your look-see. Dismissed."

Vash lingered, waiting for the senior staff to file out of the lounge. When the door slid shut and she was alone with her husband, she perched herself on his lap. Taking his face in her hands she rained kisses over his handsome features, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome," he chuckled, his lips capturing hers in a brief kiss to still the tender barrage. He stood, gently placing Vash on her feet and gave her backend a playful swat. "Off you go, chere. I have work to do and so do you."

…………………

"I have taken the liberty of clearing the sand covering the opening to the underground structure, Data informed the group when they caught up to him. "There are no lifesigns present although there is a low-level energy field emanating from within. It appears to be a naturally-occurring phenomenon. The readings do not indicate any dangerous levels of energy."

"That had to be at least a three kilometer walk," Picard grumbled, leaning against the cool rock just inside the entrance. He handed Vash her canteen before taking his own canteen out of the backpack he was wearing.

"In actuality, the distance from the specified coordinates and this opening is one point nine eight kilometers," Data corrected him.

Chakotay shrugged off his own backpack and reached for his water, mentally grumbling at how immaculate Data looked after that long trek through desert conditions. "Why would the coordinates be so far off?"

Vash tsked at the men. "There was probably a city or something surrounding the crystal caves. If they were a desert nomad culture, they wouldn't have had solid structures and the desert would have erased any signs of them over the millennia. Anyway, the directions were two million years old and you're all quibbling over a few kilometers?" She took a quick swig from the canteen and handed it back to Picard for him to put back into the backpack. "Besides, we both know you're enjoying this, Jean-Luc."

"There is nothing I enjoy more than a long walk through desert heat on a deserted planet acting as my darling wife's pack mule," he retorted good-naturedly. He slung the backpack over his shoulder and followed her into the cave with Chakotay and Data bringing up the rear. She was right of course; he was truly enjoying himself.

"It's your job to carry the heavy or bulky items. It was right there in your marriage vows in the fine print after to love, honor, cherish, forsaking all others till death do us part," she said playfully.

"Now I remember, it was listed before the always pay the check clause but just after the dispatching all arachnids in the bathtub clause," he chuckled.

"See there, I knew you'd remember."

They cautiously made their way down a slight incline along a narrow passage to emerge into large cavern. Once inside they were all awe-struck by the ethereal beauty. The cavern branched out into a vast underground labyrinth filled with innumerable, multicolored crystal pillars ranging in height from one to two meters.

"It's like a crystal forest," she breathed in astonishment.

Blood rushed through Picard at the excitement shining in Vash's blue eyes. He leaned in placing a kiss on her cheek his voice full of pride, "congratulations, Professor Picard. You just uncovered the Crystal Caves of Poudrina."

"Merci beaucoup, mon cher capitaine," she replied, basking in her husband's praise and the thrill of the discovery.

Chakotay gestured off to the side. "Readings indicate other caverns off this way. Why don't Data and I take a look while you two check this area out."

"Sensors did not detect any geological instability," Data pointed out. "These readings corroborate that in that this structure appears to be stable."

"No earthquakes," Picard noted. "That would be a nice change of pace."

As Chakotay and Data disappeared down a corridor, Picard noticed an opening along the opposite side of the cavern. Vash seemed to be completely entranced by the crystals, so he headed off toward what his tricorder indicated was a small alcove.

Vash used her tricorder to meticulously scan and document every bit of the cavern. Overwhelmed by the unique beauty of the surroundings, Vash slowly stepped into the middle of a group of pillars. One of the pillars appeared to start glowing as she neared it although it was probably just an optical illusion, she mused. Still, it seemed to draw her to it and she reached out to touch the surface. When her fingers made contact with the smooth cool surface, a strange shock wave traveled outward from her body to her fingertips. Her head swam, blurring her vision and her knees buckled under her. She instinctively threw her arms out to try to grab onto the crystals to stop her fall, but as her hands brushed over the crystals the sensation intensified. She didn't even have time to cry out for help before everything went black.

"Jean-Luc, help!"

Although strangely distorted by the cave or the crystals, it was definitely Vash's voice. At the sound of his wife's cry, Picard spun on his heels and raced back to her. Halfway across the cavern, he realized why the cry had sounded so distorted and the cause stopped him in his tracks. He was face to face with ten identical versions of his wife. It was the version lying unconscious on the ground that grabbed his immediate attention. He knelt beside the slumped form on the ground and reached down to check for a pulse. He slapped his communicator and barked out an order for Data and Chakotay to return to his position before turning his attention to the throng of Vashes gathered around him. "What happened here?"

"Well I'd guess that someone touched something that they shouldn't have," one of the Vashes retorted.

Another Vash shushed her. "Don't start talking like that or he'll be tempted to blow it up."

"It had to be his fault," a third Vash chimed in. "It's always his fault."

Picard looked over as Data and Chakotay as approached. He gestured toward the Vash on the ground, "this one has a pulse but it's weak and none of them seem to know anything about what happened. Report."

Data quickly scanned the group. "Initial scans are reading human. Doctor Crusher will need to examine them more closely."

At a nod from Picard, Chakotay tapped his communicator, "Chakotay to Crusher, we have a medical mystery of sorts. Have the transporter room lock onto these coordinates with thirteen to beam directly to Sickbay. You probably should have Commander Lar meet us there."

"Can nothing ever be simple?" Picard muttered gently taking the unconscious version of his wife into his arms for transport.

………………..

Satisfied that the vital signs were now stable, Crusher looked up from her patient to the man who had just finished pacing to stand next to the biobed, "She'll be fine, Captain."

A wave of relief flooded over Picard. From the very first, he had assumed that the unconscious Vash was his wife; of course, that assumption would have to be confirmed. "Any idea what happened to her?"

"No, it's like something just drained almost all of the electrical energy from her body," she answered.

"Captain," Chakotay spoke up, "While exploring one of the corridors, Data and I found a chamber filled with very technologically-advanced equipment. I had just finished downloading what seemed to be an database to my tricorder when we got your call."

"The answers we need may be contained in the database," the captain surmised while absently reaching down to tenderly brush a stray lock of hair from Vash's face.

Chakotay nodded, "yes, sir. However, we're talking about deciphering a text from an alien civilization that is well over two million years old. That kind of decryption is actually Vash's forte."

"Well then, those answers are going to have to wait just a little while longer. She's had quite a shock to her system, Captain. While her vitals are all stable, I would prefer for her to regain consciousness on her own," Crusher advised.

Across Sickbay, Riker gestured toward the other nine Vashes while addressing Data and Lar, "One of these is not like the others. The captain is going to want to know for certain which one of these lovely ladies is actually his wife."

"Yes, he is, Number One." Picard walked up to them. "Gentlemen?"

Data decided to step up to the plate first, "All ten Vashes read as human, however the nine conscious individuals all display the same low-level energy field I detected on the planet."

"Meaning sleeping beauty over there is our girl," Riker guessed.

"Most likely, sir," Data answered.

"Commander?" Picard turned to Lar.

"At this point I agree with Commander Data. I'm sensing Vash's personality from all nine of them with something very faint underneath; however, Vash's personality is definitely the dominant personality. I'm sorry, sir. I won't know for certain until the tenth Vash regains consciousness," Lar reported.

Picard hated to voice his next question but the issue had to be addressed, "Does any of this pose a threat to the ship?"

"Isn't Prince Charming supposed to kiss Sleeping Beauty to wake her?" One of the Vash's wondered to another.

A second Vash replied to her counterpart, "Yes, I believe so."

A third Vash piped up to voice her opinion, "I always preferred the Robin Hood and his Maid Marion analogy. Sleeping Beauty is just a little too insipid for my tastes."

"Pose a threat to the ship, no," Lar answered, noticing the captain's patience at the Vashes outburst and the mischievous gaze all nine were giving him. He sensed Riker trying not to laugh and fought down his own amusement. "Wreak major havoc on your personal life, quite possibly."

"Wonderful." The captain tugged on the hem of his uniform jacket before turning his attention to his nine wives. "Ladies, promise me you'll try and stay out of trouble."

"We always try," the expected retort was a chorus.

"Captain, she's coming around," Crusher called out.

"Ouch," Vash grumbled, her hands coming up to hold her aching head while Beverly helped her to a sitting position. She opened her eyes to find Jean-Luc and half of his senior staff all standing in front of her.

"How do you feel?" Picard inquired gently.

"Remember the evening we spent in the bar on DS4 playing dom-jot and the hangover I had the next morning? About like that," she managed.

"She's your wife, sir." Lar confirmed for the captain.

"Of course, I'm his wife. What kind of a . . ." Vash looked past her husband to see a row of herself, nine other selves to be exact. "Who the hell are they and how did they get here?"

"Actually, those were going to be my questions to you," Picard replied. "Do you remember what happened just before you lost consciousness?"

"I was scanning the cavern with my tricorder. I stepped into the middle of a group of crystals and I touched one . . ." Vash broke off mentally kicking herself.

One of the Vashes snapped her fingers and pointed around in triumph. "I told you someone touched something they weren't supposed to."

"I would have bet good money that Jean-Luc touched something he shouldn't have," a second Vash said.

"Didn't I just recently give Karita the whole 'show a little more prudence when dealing with alien artifacts speech after the Namuras incident," one of the other Vashes mused aloud.

"Hey!" Vash chided her counterparts from her biobed. It was a weird experience to hear her own thoughts expressed in her own voice from across the room. She turned back to her husband. "Of course, it is simply not possible that a distinguished professional such as myself would make such a novice-like mistake."

Picard raised his eyebrows in obvious amusement, "so, is that how you want to play this, chere?"

"Yes, please."

………………..

"Vash," Picard called out as he entered the archaeology lab. Immediately, ten Vashes standing throughout the room at different work stations all turned to look at him. He began again, "My Vash."

"Over here," Vash raised her left hand and wiggled her ring finger causing the largest diamond in her wedding ring to catch the light.

One of the Vashes nearest to him was just unable to help herself. "Number One is wearing the rock."

"I'm supposed to meet Sean for lunch." Karita decided it was time to make her exit and handed one the other Vashes a PADD that she had been working on. She left muttering. "I can't believe the captain just came in here to face all of you, voluntarily."

Once Picard was alone with his wife and her counterparts, he noticed the dumbfounded expression on all ten faces. Joining his wife at the work station that she was standing at, he offered an amused comment. "Well, you've said you wanted her to be more assertive and less timid."

"I meant toward you, not me," Vash clarified that particular aspiration.

"So, what have you ladies managed to find out from the database Commander Chakotay discovered?" Picard inquired.

"Well, from the small amount of the text that me, my assorted selves and I have managed to translate, it seems the crystals duplicate other lifeforms using electromagnetic energy. When I tried to stop my fall after the first crystal copied me I touched more crystals and was copied by them which explains the drain on my bio-electrical system that caused me to lose consciousness," she answered.

"Just how precise are these copies?" He wondered.

"From what Beverly and I have been able to determine, the replicas are absolutely exact down to the dendritic connections where memory is stored." She pulled up the report Beverly had sent her for him to see.

"Meaning they have all of your memories?" Picard sounded almost blindsided by the revelation.

"Every last one, Johnny," one of the nearby Vashes purred with a wink.

"Up to the moment I touched the first crystal," Vash specified amused by her replica's answer.

Picard looked over at his wife. "I fail to see the humor in this."

"Oh, you see it." Vash gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "You just don't want anyone to know you see it."

………………..

"Sorry, I lost track of time. I hope I haven't kept everyone waiting," Vash offered walking into Beverly and Chakotay's quarters for dinner.

"Not at all, dinner is just about ready," Beverly assured her.

Vash noticed the expression on Jean-Luc's face as he rose from his chair to greet her. She once again flashed her wedding ring. "It's me, the real me if not the one and only me."

Picard walked over and kissed her cheek. "Dare I ask, but where are the rest of you?"

Vash gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "Not sure, there was some talk of hotwiring the Kirk. Several wanted to go to DS9 and see how much damage they could do at Quarks while the rest of me were more interested in heading toward Risa to pick up starship captains of their own."

"I wonder if they're going to need horga'hns for that," Deanna quipped softly to Beverly.

"Vash, would you like something to drink?" Chakotay offered over the sounds of Beverly and Deanna snickering as they set the table for the three couples to sit down to dinner.

"Please," she replied, sending a conspiratorial smirk toward the other two members of the trio.

The captain ignored the mirth of the trio. In his head, he had an image of nine replicas of his wife running amuck on his ship. Enunciating each word deliberately, he fought back the urge to sigh. "Vash, where are they?"

"Thank you," Vash accepted her drink from Chakotay before answering her husband rather blithely, "relax, Mon Capitaine, they're all safely tucked away in the archaeology lab working on translating the ancient text under the watchful eye of Geoff Lar."

"Makes sense, sir; being a full Betazoid, Commander Lar is a telepath and would be able to distinguish our Vash from her counterparts," Riker noted to his commanding officer. "Not to mention being able to head off any intrigues before they can do any more than think about it."

"Agreed, Number One, but that's going to warrant full combat pay," Picard couldn't help but tease his wife.

"Jean-LUC," Vash swatted at his upper arm.

"His wife's rather formidable presence has been taken to the power of ten and he makes a crack like that. Here I thought I had my hands full with Captain Janeway's semi-regular lack of a reasonable sense of self-preservation," Chakotay said to Riker as he shook his head in feigned incredulity.

"I'd rather not wade into this one," Riker said. He held his hands up in front of him in a gesture of innocence.

"Oh?" Chakotay prompted, helping Beverly set the food on the table.

Deanna answered for her imzadi, "Remember, Will is the one that sent the captain off to acquire a horga'hn in the first place."

"And I told you he'd have a great time," Riker defended himself.

Picard quickly placed a silencing fingertip against his wife's lips before she could join in. With an impish giggle, she kissed his finger. Deciding to steer the conversation to safer ground, he held her chair for her as the group sat down to dinner and asked, "Have you made any significant progress since this afternoon?"

"We have, actually. According to what we've been able to translate so far the crystals are members of an ancient and sentient race—they learn by copying the other sentient beings who come into contact with them. They create a duplicate of an individual in order to experience their thoughts, feelings, memories and language."

The revelation that the other nine weren't simply some type of replica of Vash instantly grabbed Picard's full attention. This was no longer just an archaeological mystery. "You're conscious of the fact that that makes this a first contact situation."

"Yes, and this isn't your wife's first time at the rodeo," Vash rolled her eyes. "My staff and I are well aware of first contact procedures. The archaeology department's initial report on the first contact is finished, with all the myriad of I's dotted and T's crossed, filed and will be waiting for the captain on his desk at the start of tomorrow morning's duty shift."

Chakotay abruptly burst out laughing. After he had managed to catch his breath, he gasped. "They're learning about humanity through Vash's eyes. That is the report I would pay good latinum to read."

……………………………

Relieved to see her husband walk into sickbay, Vash rushed over to him, "Jean-Luc."

"I was in my ready room reading your report when I got the summons to come to sickbay. What's happened?" the captain asked, his wife's apprehension clearly evident in her expression and her voice.

"I was working in my lab on the ancient database with the other Vashes when one of them collapsed. She wasn't breathing and I couldn't find a pulse. Having to do CPR on someone until a medical team arrives is unnerving enough, this situation took it to a whole new level," she replied still trying to grasp what had just transpired.

"Are you all right?" he laid his hand tenderly on the small of her back.

"I'm fine," she answered looking over toward the interior of sickbay where Beverly and her staff were frantically working. "I'm not the one laying on a biobed fighting for my life"

"This time," he muttered his own deepest fears rising to the surface. Mentally shaking himself, he continued, "Are you sure we're not looking at some virus or bio-toxin from the site that could pose a threat to your staff or the crew?"

"There is no evidence of anything of that nature. None of the others have shown any signs of whatever this is," Vash said as she watched a grim faced Beverly Crusher walk toward them.

"Report, Doctor," Picard ordered.

"I'm sorry, Vash." Beverly glanced over at her friend before turning her attention to her CO. "She's dying, Captain. Multi-system organ failure and there is nothing I can do to stop it. All I can do now is make her last moments comfortable."

"Do you know what the cause is?" Picard asked.

"Based on scans of all nine copies, it appears that this one was formed from the last crystal Vash touched. From what we've been able to piece together, the crystals use the electromagnetic energy of the individual they are copying to fuel their transformation. This last crystal received less energy because the energy the other crystals had taken from Vash had severely weakened her," Crusher explained.

"I see."

Beverly glanced back at her patient on the biobed. "There's more, according to Data's latest scans, the other Vashes are also slowly getting weaker. Eventually this will happen to all of them unless a way is found to return them to their original state."

Vash swallowed hard before inquiring, "How long do the others have?"

"If the rate of decline stays constant, the next weakest Vash will start failing in about thirty hours. They'll get progressively weaker with the first crystal she touched failing in about forty-eight hours," Beverly surmised. She noticed Ogawa motioning for her. "Excuse me."

Vash crossed her arms, her voice barely a whisper, "I wonder what it's like to watch yourself die."

"It's not you," Picard replied, taking her by the shoulders, not sure if he was telling her or reminding himself. An image of his tortured self from the future who came back to warn them about the energy whirlpool that had destroyed his Enterprise six hours in the future flashed through his mind. Shooting yourself, even with a phaser set on stun, was difficult enough but to watch yourself die was almost unimaginable—just as unimaginable as watching an exact duplicate of your wife die.

Drawing on her husband's strength, she looked up at him. "In almost every way that matters it is. I've spent the last twenty-four hours working closely with them. These aren't like alternate universe versions of me or even clones. This lifeform completely suppresses their own selves to become another individual; they internalize the individual's memories and emotions, literally walking a mile in someone else's shoes. These replicas share my experiences, my memories, every thought, every emotion I've ever had up until the moment I touched the crystal. She is me."

"Chere," he wasn't really sure what to say.

"She needs us," Vash pulled back from him. "She needs you."

Picard watched his wife walk over to the biobed where her crystalline self lay. Squaring his shoulders, he followed her over to stand on the other side of the biobed. The captain felt his heart sink into his stomach. The delicate form on the bed looked so fragile and vulnerable.

With what felt like an inordinate effort, the replica Vash forced her eyes open and turned to the original. "Not your fault . . . no way you could have known."

"I will solve this," Vash vowed softly.

"Jean-Luc," the crystal Vash murmured. She turned her head toward him and weakly reached out for his hand.

He quickly reached for her hand and cradled it in his. "I'm right here," he gazed down into her blue eyes, tenderly combing the fingers of his other hand through her silky, brunette tresses.

Comforted by his presence and soothed by his fingers running through her hair, the crystal Vash's eyes fluttered shut for a final time with a softly whispered, "Je t' aime, mon capitaine,"

He continued to stroke her hair, unaware that the biobed's monitors had fallen eerily silent. He felt Beverly's hand on his shoulder at the same time he heard Vash inhale shakily behind him.

"She's gone, Jean-Luc," Beverly said quietly.

The captain nodded and pulled back, laying the hand he was still holding down at her side. He turned away from the biobed, unable to watch as the sheet was pulled up to cover the beautiful features of her face. It was a sight he had never wanted to see. His eyes fell on Vash, his Vash, silently wiping a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. He swiftly moved to comfort her only to be pushed away.

"I've got work to do," Vash asserted. She began backing toward the door to Sickbay.

"Ma petite," Picard murmured softly. He tried again to reach for her.

"No," she said firmly, not quite yelling but louder. "I will not watch that happen again and certainly not eight more times. I have got to finish the translation and hope there's an answer in there about how to change them back."

…………………………………………

Late that evening, Chakotay made his way toward the archaeology lab. He was a man on a mission, a nearly impossible mission if you asked him. Of course when Beverly and Deanna both cornered him—admitting that they had already failed in said mission, he found there was no way he could refuse to try.

"Hey, what are you doing here at this late hour? Shouldn't you be home playing doctor?" one of the Vashes greeted him when he walked in.

"The doctor in question is the one who sent me," Chakotay replied good-naturedly, struck by the familiarity of her voice and her smile. He had to remind himself that he might not actually be talking to his CO's wife. "The original?"

"She's back there in my, I mean, her office," the Vash gestured.

"Will you ladies be able to handle things here tonight if I can convince her to go home?" he asked.

"Sure," the Vash answered before shaking her head and giving a low whistle, "but whoa nellie, good luck with that assignment."

Chakotay stood silently in the doorway of Vash's office. Intently staring at the monitor on her desk, she hadn't noticed him. After tapping a few keys, she shook her head in disgust and swore softly under her breath. Continuing to study the readout, she reached up to absently knead the back of her neck. He gently rapped his knuckles on the doorway. "Vash?"

Almost absently, she raised her left hand to flash her wedding ring while still rubbing the sore muscles of her neck with her other hand. She glanced up at Chakotay and managed a small smile. "It's late. Shouldn't you be home playing doctor?"

"You already made that joke out there," he bantered back. He entered the office and closed the door behind him. Mentally collecting himself, he decided to take his cue from her and walked over to stand behind her. He began to massage the tense muscles of her neck and shoulders to try and relax her. "But you're right about it being late."

Vash had been fighting a tension headache for the last two hours. She rested for a few moments with her chin dropped down against her chest as his strong hands worked the strained muscles of her neck. She had to admit the man was talented and knew what he was doing. Chakotay's neck massages had become part of ship's lore, like Jean-Luc's voice and Will's bedroom smile. "There is a reason why both Beverly and Kathryn Janeway rave about your neck massages."

"Better?" He moved to sit on the front corner of her desk, watching her return her attention to her work.

"Yes, thank you," she sighed gratefully. She pointed toward her computer screen, "there is one section of this text that I just can't seem to make any sense out of."

"Maybe you should call it a night and come back fresh in the morning." He knew it wasn't going to be that simple. But he thought he'd give it a try.

"No, I need to finish this translation. It's the only hope of changing them back to their natural state in time to save the rest of their lives," she said flatly.

"There are eight more of you, literally, who can continue to work on the translation . . ."

"And I'll be damned if it's going to become seven," she interrupted him, her eyes never leaving the readout on her monitor. "I opened this Pandora's box and I need to shut it because I can't . . . I can't watch that again."

Chakotay kept his tone even and measured. "What about the Captain?"

"I wasn't just referring to the senseless loss of life. I was also referring to Jean-Luc. I can't bear to watch him suffer through that again knowing I'm the cause of it." Vash remembered the awful scene this morning when Beverly had to pull Jean-Luc away from the lifeless form on the biobed and the gut-wrenching emotions that had silently played out on his face.

"As she died, he held her hand and stroked her hair."

"How did you know that? Did Beverly tell you?" Vash looked up at him stunned only to see him shake his head no.

"During the staff meeting the other day, Beverly wasn't exaggerating about how close you came to dying from the injuries you sustained on Yadalla Prime. After you came out of surgery, the captain sat by your bedside watching over you, holding your hand and running his other hand through your hair," he explained.

She blinked back tears. "This morning it was so tempting to just allow Jean-Luc to pull me into his arms and take care of me – rescue me again. But as much as I might want or need that, I have to solve this before another life is lost and he has to endure it all over again."

Chakotay laid his hand on her shoulder. "This isn't about what you want or what you need. If you want my opinion—and even if you don't—I think he needs you. If it was me, I'd need Beverly to be with me just to remind me that I didn't lose her. I think you sitting in here while he's alone in your quarters is selfish of you. According to the other two members of the trio, you wouldn't let him touch you after the crystal Vash died. You hid yourself here and buried yourself in your work rather than be there for Captain Picard during what was an emotional time for both of you."

"I'm the—"

"You feel responsible," he cut off her argument reasoning that the fewer words he let her say, the more likely he was to survive. "I get that, I'm certainly no stranger to guilt myself; but fixing this situation isn't going to take away what both of you witnessed today. You can always have a chocolate fest with the ladies but who can he talk to? If you're not there for him, who else can he turn to? You know full well he won't come to either Will or me to talk about this, that's not his nature."

Vash pursed her lips, momentarily annoyed at his authoritative tone of voice. "With all of your life experiences and knowledge of me, was this really the best strategy you could come up with?"

Chakotay grinned down at her. "It's not what I'd been planning on my way down here, but since Beverly and Deanna both failed, I figured the soft approach was a lost cause any way. Plus, if you were my baby sister, this is exactly how I'd handle the situation. Go home, Vash. Not because it will give you a fresh start in the morning--which it will--but for him."

……………………………………….

Picard sat alone on the sofa in the dimly-lit quarters watching the display monitor. He lifted his glass to take a long drink, the Aldebaran whiskey burning as it slid down his throat. His Vash had fled to her lab, refusing to even look at him after the earlier events. After giving up on the idea of being able to concentrate enough to get any work done, he'd stared out the window at the stars for a long time before reaching for his private stash of real alcohol. On the monitor was the visual recording that he'd pulled up from last year's winter holiday party and he set his half-empty glass down on the coffee table as the recording reached a particularly memorable point. Vash had insisted that he wear his long, burgundy dress uniform jacket to the celebration and the reason had become abundantly clear when she took center stage in her glittering cocktail dress to serenade him, breathlessly crooning 'Santa Baby.' The image of her on the monitor was so vibrant, mingling with the crew members present, joking with Beverly and Deanna, her sprightly laughter ringing through the room. These were the moments that he'd wanted—needed—to see, the reason he had selected this particular recording.

For a long moment, Vash just stood there watching him, so lost in his own anguish he hadn't noticed her walk in. Chakotay had been right; her husband needed her. "Jean-Luc."

He looked up at the sound her voice surprised to see her standing there. "I … um, I thought you were working in your lab tonight."

"I was until Chakotay sent me to my room," she quipped, attempting levity that she didn't really feel at the moment.

"Chakotay?" he asked. He paused the recording he'd been viewing.

"He has a gentle but firm way of verbally smacking you upside the head and making you realize that you need to get your priorities straight." Absently she twisted her wedding ring.

Picard nodded, "The mark of a good first officer and, from what I've heard from Kathryn, he was one hell of a first officer."

She caught sight of his uniform jacket on the floor where it must have fallen off the back of a dining chair. Hanging it back up on the chair, she busied herself brushing her hands over the jacket's shoulders and picking off a few pieces of lint. "I'm so sorry, Jean-Luc."

"You have nothing to apologize for. Recognizing new life, whatever its form, is the principle mission of this vessel. Even with all procedures followed correctly, first contact situations can be fraught with unforeseen complications," he replied noticing how she had picked up his jacket. The simple gesture of wifely attentiveness, a poignant reminder of how empty his life would be without her, sent another wave of utter desolation washing over him. Once again, he shoved it aside as foolishness. He firmly told himself, as he had countless times that day, that his wife wasn't dead. At the moment, she was standing right there in front of him.

"I bolted." She forced herself to meet his gaze. "I couldn't handle it and I bolted."

"Watching an individual die is distressing in and of itself." His own experience with Dathon, the captain of the Tamarian vessel, briefly crossed his mind. In this circumstance, the unusual specifics of the current situation made it much more personal; this hit unbearably close to home. Once again lifting his glass, he swirled the whiskey using the moment to tighten the leash he held on his own emotions. He took the last swallow of his drink before continuing, "The fact that by all appearances the individual in question was a duplicate of you must have magnified that for you . . ."

"That's not it," she cut him off. Crossing the room toward him her words came faster and faster, almost tumbling over each other. "It wasn't watching 'me' die that I couldn't handle. It was watching you watch 'me' die that I couldn't handle. I hid in my lab in a selfish attempt to escape the image of you holding me while I whispered to you with my last breath, the despair on your face when they pulled you back from my lifeless body."

"Because, damn it, I'm supposed to die first!" he roared, standing up and slamming the empty glass down on the coffee table between them.

Vash jumped involuntarily at the sound of his thunderous voice reverberating through the room. Unsure of what she found more startling, the vehement outburst or the revelation contained in it, she gasped, "what?"

Picard took several deep breaths, fighting to regain his self-control before trying to put an explanation into words. "I've always been prepared to be the one to die first. Considering my age and vocation, it was a natural assumption. Till death do us part meant my death, never yours."

"Both of our chosen careers have an element of risk. Yadalla Prime was proof enough of that," she reminded him.

"Look at yourself, Vash." He walked around the coffee table to stand next to her and gestured to the image of her up on the screen on the wall. "Young, beautiful, with a vivacious spark that lights up an entire room. Today I experienced what it would be like to watch as that spark was extinguished."

Chagrined by the pain in his voice, she turned toward him and splayed her hands across his chest with her eyes cast downward and her voice quietly repentant, "Sometimes this rather stubborn Maid Marian forgets her Robin Hood might need her to allow him to rescue her."

His breath caught in his throat at her soft touch, sending a shiver through him. He cupped her face with his hands, his thumbs resting against the base of her chin. He tilted her lovely face upward until her gaze met his own but the words he intended to speak fell away, forgotten. Instead, her lush, full lips beckoned to him and his mouth descended on hers in an impassioned kiss. Finally breaking the kiss, he combed his fingers through her hair. "Je t' aime, Vash."

She turned her head slightly to kiss the palm of his hand. "Je t' aime."

…………………………..

"Ladies, you have something for me." Picard strolled into the archaeology lab late the next morning. Even as the words left his mouth, he knew he should have found a different way to phrase it. Finding himself faced with nine pairs of mischievous blue eyes along with nine identical 'come and get me' grins, he held up his hands to stave off the expected barrage of naughty innuendos. "I understand you have some new information."

"Yes, we have had a breakthrough in regard to the translation." Vash picked up a PADD and stepped past one of her replicas toward him. "We had been stuck on one particular section which didn't seem to make any sense. Robin Lefler stopped by to do some minor adjustments on the lab's electrowhocardio spanner and she recognized the section as schematics to some type of generator compatible with the electromagnetic energy emanating from –"

"Us," one of the crystal Vashes supplied.

"So with Robin's help we finished that section; then we finished the rest of the database." Vash handed her husband the PADD with the finished translation. "According to this, the crystals return to their crystalline state with the memories intact and then share those experiences with the rest of their race. As we have already determined, their electromagnetic energy begins to break down after a while."

A second crystal Vash leaned in and pointed to a section of the text. "Because we don't have access to our own memories while in our transformed state we didn't know about needing to return to our crystalline form. There was once a race of caretakers responsible for tending to us. The chamber of equipment where Chakotay and Data found this database contains the mechanism that is used to return us to our crystalline state from our morphed state."

"Which is most likely in some state of disrepair after many millennia of sitting idle," Vash tried to finish her report without any more interruptions from herself. "Of course, that is engineering's job and Geordi's team already has the complete translation of the database, including schematics, for all of the ancient machinery in the caves. You'll have to ask him for a timeframe to make it so."

Picard could not suppress his grin, "That's my girl – girls."

…………………………………………

At the sound of the door opening, Vash turned from her replicas to see Jean-Luc walk into Transporter Room Two. "I take it since me, my various selves and I were summoned here, Geordi and Data were able to get the ancient device operational."

"Indeed they have," Picard nodded. With a habitual tug to his uniform jacket, he addressed the rest of the Vashes, "Ladies, Commander Data and Commander LaForge will meet you at the beam down site and guide you through the process. Starfleet Command is preparing to send a specialized first contact team to find a way to communicate with you while you're in your natural crystal form in hopes of sharing knowledge and establishing a relationship with your race."

"So long, Jean-Luc, come back and see us sometime." The first crystal Vash laid her hand on his arm before turning to head to the transporter pad.

"Farewell for now," the second crystal Vash blew him a kiss as she backed toward her spot on the pad.

The third crystal Vash loosened her grip on the weakest of the crystal Vashes to wave at the crewman manning the transporter and then at Vash and Picard. "Auf Wiedersehen, y'all."

The fourth crystal Vash, starting to show signs of pallor as she neared the end of her energy, still managed an almost coy smile. "Adieu, mon capitaine."

"Goodbye," the fifth crystal Vash leaned in, hovering briefly at his lips only to shift and place a lingering kiss on his cheek.

"Ciao," Crystal Vash the sixth hugged her organic self.

The seventh crystal Vash hugged Picard tightly for a long moment. When she finally released him, she shot Vash an unapologetic grin and shrug. "Adios."

The last crystal Vash offered her organic self a parting bit of advice as she stepped up on the transporter pad. "If you can't be good, be careful."

"Goodbye." Vash waved to all eight of her selves now up on the transporter pad.

Picard nodded to the transporter chief and the duplicates disappeared in the familiar glitter of the transporter beam. Once the duplicates were safely transported, he extended his arm to what would soon, thankfully, be the only Vash in his universe.

She heaved a sigh of relief as they left the transporter room. "Next time I'm so busy that I make a joke about wanting to clone myself, remind me of this."

"Which should be anytime in the next twenty-four hours," he chuckled. He waited until she squeezed his arm in a tacit order to cough up an explanation. "I know you've been too busy to even think about it; however, there is the minor point of knocking the entire scientific community on its collective ear with the sudden discovery of the lost Crystal Caves of Poudrina. The news is already circulating throughout the galaxy so the Enterprise has been ordered to remain in orbit to protect the site until a science vessel can be dispatched with a first contact team. We'll need to prepare a briefing for them on the language translation that your crystal selves and you worked out. Get with Geordi and Data since they'll be preparing a briefing on the technology. Have your briefing prepared before you start working on the copious journal articles on this little adventure that you will, no doubt, be publishing--please."

Chuckling, she checked the corridor to make sure they were alone before rising up on her tiptoes to kiss the end of his aristocratic nose. "Saved by the last second 'please'. I would have done the briefing first anyway, you know; organizing all of that information would have made writing the journal articles much easier for my assistants. I have to start thinking about what I'm going to wear for all of those speaking engagements that I'll be asked to do. Are we going to be anywhere near Earth or maybe Aldebaran III? I need to go shopping."

FINIS


End file.
